P&G Beauty has announced its first-ever refillable aluminium bottle system to launch at-scale, with its Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Herbal Essences and Aussie brands in Europe.

The refill system uses a new reusable 100% aluminium bottle and recyclable refill pouch, made using 60% less plastic (per mL versus standard brand bottle).

The new sustainable packaging will enable millions of households across Europe to reduce, reuse and recycle. It is set to pave the way in changing the way consumers buy, use and dispose of their shampoo bottles. 

The news was announced during a live panel of sustainability experts at the Reuters Responsible Business Summit. Guests at "The Window to Act is Now: Advancing Responsible Beauty in Europe" heard that, as of 2021, Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Herbal Essences and Aussie will enable the 200 million European households to recycle, reduce and reuse.

Speaking at the event, Artur Litarowicz, senior vice president and general manager of Haircare for P&G Europe said; “We need to start turning the tide on the plastic waste crisis and there is no time to waste when it comes to protecting our planet. That is why I’m thrilled to announce a new packaging innovation called the ‘good refill system’. 

He continued, "This will allow consumers to have the product they love now in a beautiful, reusable aluminium bottle and refill pouches as of 2021. This will be launched across Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Herbal Essences and Aussie. We know this is just the start. There is so much more to do, and I am passionate about P&G Beauty being a force for good across Europe as we step towards achieving our 2030 Responsible Beauty goals at pace.”

P&G Is On Track Toward Meeting Sustainability Goals by 2030

P&G Beauty is on track to reduce virgin plastic usage by 50% in shampoos and conditioners bottles by the end of 2021, where through collective efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle it will result in 300 million fewer virgin plastic bottles being produced yearly.

Virginie Helias, P&G’s chief sustainability officer added; “We have committed to enable and inspire responsible consumption through innovation on our product and packaging. Our leading beauty brands in Europe touch millions of lives. This new packaging innovation will contribute to making the reuse of packaging irresistible, while enabling a reduction of virgin plastic as per P&G’s Ambition 2030 commitment. It’s no longer about if or what we can do, but how quickly we can do it - the window is now for embracing new sustainable lifestyles.”

Litarowicz and Helias were joined at the interactive panel discussion by founder and CEO at TerraCycle, Tom Szaky, Head of Plastic Waste and Business at WWF, Erin Simon and climate activist, Clover Hogan, who provided their perspective on the role of brands to help turn the tide of the plastics crisis.

Tom Szaky commented; “I’ve long been a believer that a refill behavior is a big part of the future of sustainable packaging and the innovation announced by P&G Beauty today is a positive step in the right direction for the many millions of households Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Herbal Essences and Aussie serve. While there is of course more to be done, it’s great to see large companies such as P&G Beauty taking the issue seriously and using their scale to drive change quickly and impactfully.”

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Last year, P&G introduced refillable packaging for 11 of its brands. 

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